This invention relates generally to air data systems, and more specifically, to methods and systems for determining air data parameters such as one or more of static pressure, angle of attack, and angle of sideslip utilizing an air data system.
Missiles and other air vehicles, manned and unmanned, are presently being developed for operation at extended flight profiles which may include one or more of significantly reducing a time-to-target, traveling at high altitudes (i.e. 60,000 to 100,000 feet), and traveling at high speeds (i.e. Mach 3 and faster). All of these flight profiles utilize at least some air data parameters for flight control of the vehicle. Examples of air data parameters include, for example, an air speed in Mach (M), an altitude (Hp), a velocity (Vc), an angle of attack (AOA), and an angle of sideslip (AOS).
Various pitot probes, mechanical vanes, and other protrusive devices are known to be utilized in conjunction with conventional air data systems so that a static pressure, an angle of attack, and an angle of sideslip can be derived by the conventional air data system. However, when an air vehicle is traveling at the extended flight profiles described above, the air vehicles cannot utilize a conventional air data system. More specifically, to maintain the above described flight profiles, protrusions, pitot probes, and mechanical vanes extending from the body of the air vehicle need to be kept to a minimum because of the drag produced and the stresses that might be exerted on the air vehicle. However, to determine each of the air data parameters listed above, a value for static pressure, Ps, is still needed.